Digital Branch of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program

Robert Benda

For over 25 years, Robert Benda was a biology professor for the Prince William Sound Community College in Valdez, Alaska. He taught a wide range of classes including environmental studies, statistics, and biology. He has a bachelor’s degree in zoology and botany from Indiana State University, a master’s degree in zoology and botany from DePauw University, and a Ph.D. in ecology and systematics from Indiana State University. During the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Robert worked for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) as a member of the Interagency Shoreline Cleanup Committee, one of the resource groups that advised the Coast Guard during the oil spill response and cleanup. Shortly after the oil spill, he joined the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council’s Terminal Operations and Environmental Monitoring (TOEM) Committee. Through the TOEM Committee, Robert has been involved in reviewing the operational practices at the Valdez Marine Terminal, as well as its environmental impacts.

Robert Benda was interviewed on October 7, 2007 by Sharon Bushell in Valdez, Alaska. Bob's interview was conducted as part of Sharon Bushell's work on the book, The Spill: Personal Stories from the Exxon Valdez Disaster, by Stan Jones and Sharon Bushell. (Kenmore, WA: Epicenter Press, 2009). In this interview, Bob talks about how marine wildlife suffered in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, the response efforts taken to rehabilitate injured animals, and his involvement in the oil spill response and wildlife rehabilitation.